Give eyes a break from smartphones, PC screens

WASHINGTON, DC (CNN) – Most screen time used to be logged at the office.

Now smartphones and tablets can extend texting, typing and tweeting well beyond office hours and into the evening, and for some, right until they fall asleep.

Optometrist Alan Glazier says without the proper habits, focusing on screens big and small, can take a toll.

"What do we do when we look at a computer? We don't blink. And we just get so entranced and we're focused, that the eyes don't, and the regular blink rate is decreased. So by doing that, our eyes start to dry out," Dr. Alan Glazier said.

To avoid things like dry eyes and headaches, Glazier reminds patients to take a break, whether at the office or on the go.

"Every twenty minutes, take a 20 second break, and look 20 feet or further away from you," said Glazier. "20 feet is where your eyes start to relax, and by doing that, you restore a lot of the focus strain might be contributing to the headaches, the strain, and/or the dry eyes."